Widespread diseases in Baku revealed

The Central Department of Health announced the most common diseases spread among the Baku city residents.

A compulsory medical examination showed that the most common diseases are those of the circulatory system, endocrine diseases, diseases of the nervous, digestive, and respiratory systems, and eye diseases, Deputy Head of the Department Rauf Nagiyev said.

The number of people who underwent compulsory medical examination was 1,249,000, while 95,521 of them suffered from a particular disease. Some 5,292 of total patients were placed in hospitals, while 4,130 diseased registered at specialized clinics could cure. As many as 376,395 were additionally examined for having any disease.

Surveys were conducted among people over the age of 18.

Azerbaijan's Health Ministry, in turn, has warned citizens about the possibility of increase in intestinal infections because of the beginning of summer season.

"Intestinal infections are most common during warm seasons," Anti-Plague Station's Deputy Director Shair Gurbanov said, adding that these kinds of infections usually inter the human body through the mouth.

Drinking water is the most favorable breeding ground for intestinal infections. The likelihood of getting sick increases in the summer when people drink tap water.

Factors such as the weakness of the immune system and a person's age influence intestinal infections, Gurbanov said.

Definite actions against all infectious diseases are being carried out in Azerbaijan, Gurbanov noted, stressing that the Anti-Plague Station had estimated the chance of the spread of smallpox virus, found earlier in Georgia, in the country.

There is no need for special measures since smallpox is not a particularly dangerous infection, he said.

Gurbanov noted that the station informs the World Health Organization (WHO) if any dangerous disease is found in the country. The latter, in turn, warns other countries so that to keep under control people coming out of the states where the disease has spread.

Gurbanov stressed that the Organization has made no warning so far, adding that smallpox is treated quickly unless complications are observed.

Earlier, Georgian Center for Disease Control issued a statement about detection of a new virus-smallpox in the country. Experts from the U.S. said scientists had not encountered this virus before.

The first case of infection from this virus was recorded in the summer of 2013.